Class 12 exams: There can`t be a uniform scheme for assessment for all state boards across India, says SC

The top court directed the state boards to notify the scheme for assessment within 10 days and declare the internal assessment results by July 31, like the timeline specified by it for the CBSE and the ICSE boards.

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Thursday said that there can't be a uniform scheme for assessment for all state boards across India. A vacation bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari observed that each board is autonomous and hence the court cannot direct for the adoption of such a protocol.

The top court said this while responding to a batch of petitions seeking cancellation of the Class XII examination of the Andhra and the Kerala boards respectively. During the hearing, the Supreme Court also questioned Andhra Pradesh regarding its decision to hold Class XII examination “tentatively in July last week” and said that the state should have ‘a decision and concrete plan’.

The top court also refused to pass such an order while hearing a plea seeking cancellation of the Class XII examination and directed the state boards to notify the scheme for assessment within 10 days and declare the internal assessment results by July 31, like the timeline specified by it for the CBSE and the ICSE boards.

The internal assessment needs to be formulated within 10 days, the top court said in its order. The highest court of the country made these observations while hearing the plea challenging the decision of the Andhra Pradesh and Kerala Governments to conduct board examinations in the state.

It may be noted that the Andhra and Kerala Boards have not cancelled the AP Inter Exams 2021 and Kerala Plus One Exams 2021, while many other state boards have cancelled the Class 12 exams, following a similar announcement by the CBSE and the ICSE boards recently.

In a related development, the Supreme Court had on June 22 dismissed petitions challenging the decision taken by the CBSE and ICSE to cancel the Class 12 board examinations. The top court also upheld the assessment scheme brought out by the boards to evaluate the students' examination pattern. 

The bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari dismissed a bunch of petitions which challenged the cancellation of exams saying that the decision was “well-informed” and was taken at the “highest level” to protect the welfare of over 20 lakh students. "We hold that there is no need to interfere with the scheme propounded by CBSE and ICSE. It takes into account concerns of all students,’’ the top court bench said.

The bench held that there is no reason to interfere with the schemes of CBSE and ICSE, as they were “fair and reasonable and takes into account the concerns of all students and are in the larger public interest”. 

The Supreme Court had on June 17 given in-principle clearance to the schemes submitted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) to assess the final marks of Class 12 students whose Board exams were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.